wad11656 Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Hey there! Well, my Vista Business completely crashed after a corrupt .exe attacked my system32 folder with tons of viruses and trojans and stuff that made my Vista completely BLOW UP. :| :wacko: I can't even log in to an account! :pinch: ("Explorer isn't working" and "Task Manager isn't working" errors come up as well, but are probably irrelevant.) I know that I have basically no chance of restoring the files that were on my PC. So I'm just going to do a fresh install from the Vista Business DVD. Yes, I [thankfully] have the Vista Business DVD still for the fresh install. But I had a completely genuine copy of Windows Business...before giving my other PC's (i.e. this XP) fresh installs, I always used Magical Jelly Bean to get my genuine product keys before hand so I could use them again after the fresh install. However, because I can't even log in this time, there's no possibility of me using that program. Is there any other way for me to obtain my genuine Windows Business key? I [obviously] would only prefer workarounds that involve my genuine product key that I had before. Thank you in advance!! :D --wad11656 EDIT: No, I can't even run in Safe Mode. It says Windows Explorer is missing/corrupt or something of the like. :/ (Just leaves me there at a black screen) Thanks! :p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted September 23, 2009 MVC Share Posted September 23, 2009 I think the file was more infected than corrupted :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wad11656 Posted September 23, 2009 Author Share Posted September 23, 2009 I think the file was more infected than corrupted :D Yeah, I knew I hadn't used the right word for the situation, but I just went along with it 'cause I knew people would get the gist of what I was trying to say. Ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted September 23, 2009 MVC Share Posted September 23, 2009 Even though explorer is corrupted, if you can open the task manager via alt, cntrl deleted you should be able to use the file / open menu to gain access to magic jelly bean exe to execute it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NfoTech Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Boot off of the disc and repair the installation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wad11656 Posted September 23, 2009 Author Share Posted September 23, 2009 Even though explorer is corrupted, if you can open the task manager via alt, cntrl deleted you should be able to use the file / open menu to gain access to magic jelly bean exe to execute it. Jellybean hasn't been previously installed on my Vista. D: Thank you, though! Very good idea otherwise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted September 23, 2009 MVC Share Posted September 23, 2009 Jellybean hasn't been previously installed on my Vista. D: Thank you, though! Very good idea otherwise Still.. you should be able to install it via the same methoid. Plus I didn't think it needed to be install. I Thought it was just a single executable. edit Ya just checked. No install needed on that application. Just throw it on a thumbstick and launch it from the open box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gdodson Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 This might work. Copy the ntuser.dat file from the messed up PC to the one you're using now and follow the guide (use a live CD or pull the HDD). I haven't tried it myself, but it looks like it might work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
null_ Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 That NTUSER.DAT guide looks promising, although I can almost guarantee that you can skip the first part about the DigitalProductID being in NTUSER.DAT. It'll be in HKLM\Software\ (located at C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG\SOFTWARE) for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wad11656 Posted September 23, 2009 Author Share Posted September 23, 2009 Still.. you should be able to install it via the same methoid. Plus I didn't think it needed to be install. I Thought it was just a single executable.edit Ya just checked. No install needed on that application. Just throw it on a thumbstick and launch it from the open box. Oh, brilliant. Alrighty, then. Will try this first. Thanks! Boot off of the disc and repair the installation? Interesting idea; I should probably have thought of this one. Ha ha. Thank you! I'll try it if other methods fail! This should probably work though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wad11656 Posted September 23, 2009 Author Share Posted September 23, 2009 This might work. Copy the ntuser.dat file from the messed up PC to the one you're using now and follow the guide (use a live CD or pull the HDD). I haven't tried it myself, but it looks like it might work. Intriguing as well, and probably what I'll end up doing. Thank you so much for your quick response and effective suggestion. I'll try everything out tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cork1958 Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Hmm? So much for security and UAC or anything like that in Vista, I guess!! To get taken over/wiped out like that, isn't cool!! Been going to check out that jellybean thing before though. Was going to suggest booting off the disc also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhangm Supervisor Posted September 23, 2009 Supervisor Share Posted September 23, 2009 I say you should try and boot from the DVD and run System Restore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aussiefloyd_fan Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Jellybean hasn't been previously installed on my Vista. D: Thank you, though! Very good idea otherwise ctrl alt delete ieexplorer.exe in addreww bar use c:/ and try to execute it from there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deep1234 Posted September 23, 2009 Share Posted September 23, 2009 Give this a try it may help Avira AntiVir Rescue System . Basically it is a live CD that can run an up to date antivirus to clean your computer. Give us the update after trying it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BudMan MVC Posted September 23, 2009 MVC Share Posted September 23, 2009 Maybe Im missing something -- but why/how is it you have the media but not the key? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wad11656 Posted September 24, 2009 Author Share Posted September 24, 2009 Maybe Im missing something -- but why/how is it you have the media but not the key? By "media," do you mean the operating system? A friend of mine gave me the Vista Business + monitors for a good price but didn't have the retail box which had the product manual that had the key on it...He only still had the CD, probably for purposes such as these. So that's what I've got. I'm not really sure what you're trying to ask, but I hope I answered your question! Ha ha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+BudMan MVC Posted September 24, 2009 MVC Share Posted September 24, 2009 Yeah ok great thanks -- good luck with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wad11656 Posted October 3, 2009 Author Share Posted October 3, 2009 Alright, thanks a TON, everyone for your help and ULTRA-QUICK responses!!! Turns out, I got the PC to boot from a flash drive using the files from the DVD I had, and it worked!! I originally had problems making the USB bootable, so I used this program: WinToFlash It is FANTASTIC!! If you want to boot your PC from a USB--which you should--you should DEFINITELY use this program! It's PERFECT! Turned out great. From there, I just did a system restore to a date RIGHT before it crashed. It still had problems, so I'm just going to reinstall it now after I use keyfinder to get the key. Of course, this does not solve the original problem. I still had to restore the PC, but I hope the suggestions made by the others before will help those who are not able to boot and/or repair their PCs for some reason. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts